Mental Health

Investing in MENTAL HEALTH and substance use awareness, screening, treatment, and surveillance in St. Louis

Behavioral health, including mental health and substance use problems, significantly impacts our overall health. It touches every part of our lives, including how we think, feel, and act. It can also affect our physical well-being by increasing the risk of disease and death. On average, adults living with serious mental illness die 25 years earlier than other Americans, even though these conditions are often treatable.

Emotional well-being in childhood affects lifelong behavioral health outcomes. Research on stress and trauma shows that children who experience abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, or other stressors have increased chances of developing health risks and disease later in life.

African Americans visit the ER for behavioral health conditions at a rate more than double that of whites, indicating a lack of access to more effective and cost-efficient options. Studies show that investments in behavioral health beginning in childhood have significant effects later in life by reducing chronic disease and promoting overall emotional well-being. There are steps we can take to improve mental health for all.